at WineStyles of Montclair

4394 Kevin Walker Dr. Montclair, VA 22025

Oct. 19th LUCAS is hosting it’s first ever wine tasting fund raiser and it’s going to be a waggingly good time.

The theme of the evening is Pet Friendly and we will be featuring Dog Themed Wines from Pet Friendly wineries in California and Virginia.

Mutt Lynch Winery in Sonoma County is a wonderful place where wine and “all things dog” collide into something truly special with their award winning wines featuring dog-awesome labels. They proudly support local animal rescue organizations throughout the country in their tireless efforts to save pets’ lives by donating a portion of proceeds from every bottle of Mutt Lynch wine sold and drunk. I’m sure their lables will make you smile while you enjoy tasting their wines.

Weston Farms Winery in Louisa County, VA is equally passionate about animals and wine making. Their bottles feature their own dogs and their winery plays host to numerous charitable events throughout the year. As Penny said when I contacted her about Wags-N-Wine, they’d love to be there, “anything for the animals”. Weston Farms Winery will feature Cabernet Franc, Rosso, Rose’, Norton and Chardonnay. And although Summer may be over, I asked her to bring their new Peach and Raspberry Wine for our friends to try.

Giorgio’s Master Chef, Michael Lampros, will be adding to this fabulous event by creating some of his mouth watering amazing appetizers and believe me when I say, YUM!

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 (cash or check) at the door. There will be raffle prizes, dog themed wine items (wine glasses, glass charms, bottle stoppers, etc.) food and fun. So, don’t delay, order your tickets today and save $5. That’s more money you can spend when you are there.

Come learn about all the new animal friendly programs and initiatives currently in the works in Prince William County. You will be amazed at the progress we are making and the positive impact it will have on our community.

See You Oct. 19th.

THE VAN IS ON IT’S WAY!!!

PWSPCA Awarded $154,565 PETCO Grant for New Multi-Purpose Mobile Pet Adoption Van

As a Board Member of The Prince William SPCA I am thrilled to announce that it is the recipient of a $154,565 PETCO Foundation Extraordinary Gift that will be used to purchase and maintain a 26’ Multi-purpose Mobile Pet Adoption Van. The grant proposal included the request for a custom-built van that primarily will be used to increase adoptions of pets at the Prince William County Animal Shelter. The van will also assist in relief efforts of companion animals in crisis and serve as a transport vehicle to a spay/neuter facility. The grant was submitted as a joint partnership between the Prince William SPCA and the Prince William County Animal Shelter. Prince William SPCA Board Members wrote the successful grant application that secured the funding for the van.

The PETCO Foundation was looking for proposals that were creative, increased connections with their local community and local PETCOs, employed innovation, and most importantly enhanced the lives of animals in alignment with the goals of the PETCO Foundation. In an e-mail to the PWSPCA confirming the award, Paul Jolly, Executive Director of the PETCO Foundation, stated, “Congratulations. The competition for funding was intense, but your request impressed us all.” “We are thrilled that the Prince William SPCA been chosen for this grant, which will bring animals out of the shelter and into the community to find potential adopters,” states Prince William SPCA President Melissa Korzuch. She adds, “We thank the PETCO Foundation for their generosity in providing us with this grant, which opens up so many opportunities for the shelter pets to gain exposure and ultimately find a home. It is a perfect example of how municipal shelters and nonprofits can work together to improve the lives of companion animals.

We look forward to welcoming this van as a mobile billboard promoting shelter pet adoption. This is fantastic news for our county, our citizens and our animals.” The van will have the capacity to hold approximately 26 animals, have roll doors that allow the animals to be viewed from the outside and have walk-in capability for potential adopters to meet the pets in the van. The grant covers the cost of the van plus five years of maintenance and administrative costs. Additional expenses after the first five years will be provided through fundraising efforts. Plans are underway to develop a schedule for weekly adoption shows and appearances at various community events, festivals and at PETCO stores in the Northern Virginia area. The Prince William SPCA estimates that the van will be delivered by November of 2011 and a ribbon cutting ceremony will be scheduled some time before the holidays.

The Prince William SPCA’s Pet Food Pantry needs donations. The donations aren’t keeping up with the demand and inventory is depleted.  To help, please take your donations to the Manassas City Animal Adoption Center during their normal business hours. They are located 10039 Dean Dr. in Manassas, Va. 

Hours of Operation: Monday, Tuesday and Friday: 10:00am-1:00pm AND 4:00pm-6:00pm, Wednesday: 5:00pm-7:00pm, Saturday: 10:00am-1:00pm, Sunday, Thursday and Holidays: Closed

The Prince William County Animal Advisory Committee is 1 1/2 year old and we continue to achieve a number of accomplishments which directly benefit the community. In our first year these included: Improving the Spay/Neuter Compliance rate at the PWC Animal Shelter, implementation of a Pet Redemption Program, Operation Safe Haven, assisted in development of a comprehensive Feral Cat TNR program, initiated a Shelter Volunteer Program and improved public relations through our “Pet Tips” ads created for the Friday edition of the Potomac News.

In our second year, the AAC goals are to identify partnerships within the community and to finding funding resources to continue its programs and activities. We will also work directly with the PWC Animal Shelter on developing a strategic plan to include: improvements to Animal Care Services, develop a comprehensive volunteer program, build a no-kill adoption center, promote the TNR program, increase adoptions and redemptions, increase owner retention, initiate an animal behavior help hotline, and make the shelter a more welcoming place to visit.

So far, we have assisted the PW Cty. Shelter to implement a Behavior Hotline which in accessible now through the Shelter’s website;  we have identified and assembled the list of partnerships within the community’s rescue and animal welfare organizations; implemented a new food service contract for the Shelter pets; and assisted in the organization of a foster program for adoptable Shelter animals.  Lastly, and most importantly we are thrilled to announce that a new Veterinarian is on board to assist the Shelter with a Wellness and Spay & Neuter Program on site.  We will continue to work on a Dog Park located on the Shelter property as well as multiple other improvements to the Shelter and Animal Care Services over the coming months.  This is an exciting time for Prince William County citizens and their pets and I’m honored to be a small part of it.

The purpose of the Animal Advisory Committee (AAC) is to promote animal welfare and encourage responsible pet ownership through various programs, classes and special events that will assist Prince William County in providing the best possible animal welfare services in the community and improve the operation of the Pr. Wm. County Animal Shelter. The AAC scope is limited to matters relating to domestic household pets only.

I am so grateful to my County Supervisor, Maureen Caddigan, for the opportunity to serve on the Animal Advisory Committee and look forward to all the wonderful accomplishments we have yet to achieve and continuing to help companion animals in PWC.

A Huge Thank You to PWSPCA for providing the funding to the Pr. Wm. Cty. Animal Shelter to purchase Shelter specific database software which will improve spay/neuter compliance, be accessible to Animal control Officers in their mobile units, increase visibility of shelter pets through expanded on-line promotion, and assist the county staff in tracking cruelty and hoarding cases.

THE NEUTER COMMUTER UPDATE

The “Neuter Commuter” is doing waggingly well and can now accomodate more pets each month.  This month we had 63 cats & dogs

Next Available Dates: Oct. 14/15, Nov. 18/19 & Dec. 16/17  (registration opens 3 weeks prior to appt. date)

LUCAS is continuing to provide financial assistance to low income pet owners by partnering with the Prince William SPCA in their Neuter Commuter Program. To date, LUCAS has assisted 52 pet owners and The Neuter Commuter has serviced 942 pets. We would like to help more, so if you know a pet owner who is in need of our assistance, please refer them to our website.

We are pleased to announce that the Prince William SPCA has a new spay/neuter clinic as a partner for this program. Shenandoah Valley Spay/Neuter Clinic provides the transportation and perform the procedures for this program. Pets are transported to the clinic via a new specially equipped van that travels to Pr Wm Cty monthly to pick up approximately 60 cats and dogs. It will then travel to the clinic where the pets will have their procedures and stay over night to recover. The next day, the van comes back to Pr Wm Cty. There is no income requirement so anyone can participate, but space is limited. The van runs monthly, however, the frequency of the service may be expanded if the need increases beyond 60 pets a month. The Shenandoah Valley Spay/Neuter Clinic is a Humane Alliance High Volume/ High Quality clinic which offers low prices, shorter commutes, and overnight recovery for our pets.

Please visit the PWSPCA website to see the requirements and register.

For those pet owners who cannot afford these procedures, LUCAS is here to help. It is our mission to Save Lives Through Spay and Neuter and as such, we will subsidize anyone in need. A nominal co-payment may be required. If you know anyone in need of assistance, please refer them to our website for more information. And as always, as a token of our gratitude and appreciation, there is no co-payment required of any members of the Armed Services .

Other Spay/Neuter News!

Can’t get on the Neuter Commuter this month? The Kincheloe Clinic in Fredericksburg has just been expanded to take more pets! See their web site for more information. Please note they only take cash and operate M-F. You must have a reservation in advance.

Need Low Cost Vaccinations

The Dale City and Manassas Petcos are hosting Low Cost Vaccination Clinics every Sat and Sun. Please check their website for specific dates and times.